“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.”   -E.B. White

Saturday, March 13, 2010

From Aussie, with love.




Tis been a while, maties...but I am back and coming to you from a place where the beer flows like wine, where venomous creatures abound and where life is just great. And for the record, yes, I have had a few beers, yes, I have encountered at least one venomous animal (brown snake to be exact), and life really is great down unda. More updates to come soon, but I just wanted to check in for now. xx

Where has this southern gal been in the past year?

  • Bra, Italy
  • Milan, Italy
  • Venice, Italy
  • Cinque Terra, Italy
  • Paris, France
  • Sardinia
  • Ajaccio, Corsica
  • Calvi, Corsica
  • Portovenere, Italy
  • Portofino, Italy
  • Villefranche, France
  • Cap D'ai, France
  • Nice, France
  • St. Tropez, France
  • Cannes, France
  • Monaco, France
  • San Remo, Italy
  • Hilton Head Island, SC
  • Ft. Liquordale, FL
  • Seattle, WA
  • Nosara, Costa Rica
  • Charleston, SC
  • Waxy O'Connors, FL
  • Florida Keys, FL
  • Highbourne Cay, Bahamas
  • Harbor Island, Bahamas
  • Nassau, Bahamas
  • Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • Big Lake, Washington :-)
  • Mt. Vernon, Washington
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
  • Wilmington, North Carolina
  • Outer Banks, North Carolina
  • Stuart, Florida
  • Palma de Mallorca, Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain
  • Rome, Italy
  • Sorrento, Italy
  • Sollerno, Italy
  • Agropoli, Italy
  • Positano, Italy
  • Amalfi Coast, Italy
  • Ischia, Italy
  • Isle of Capri, Italy

MY MENU MANTRA

I cannot overemphasize the importance of approaching each new menu or each new dish with a fresh attitude. Never look back, burdening yourself with the memory of the dinner that didn't quite work.  Nor should you endlessly repeat the comfortable dish that you have mastered: that promotes a stagnant attitude.  Move away from that safe old chocolate mousse recipe to new ideas, new cookbooks, and new restaurants for inspiration, motivation and incentive.  Learn to discriminate and choose the best of everything.  More than any other quality in other cooks, the one I most value is the ability to see precisely what is needed in a particular dish, dinner, or event.  This discrimination and attention to detail distinguish those dedicated and perceptive cooks I most admire.  -Alice Waters.